Chapter 93: 93
Jirobo convulsed violently as electricity flooded his entire body.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"
The screams lasted only a few seconds before his body went limp. Smoke rose from every pore as the smell of burnt flesh spread through the forest. Rei released his grip and the charred corpse crashed onto the ground with a dull thud, blackened beyond recognition.
Silence followed. Even Orochimaru found himself staring at the body for a brief moment. Jirobo hadn't even managed to make Rei take a single step backwards, nor even give him time to use his curse mark.
The smell of burnt flesh lingered in the air as Jirobo's lifeless body collapsed onto the earth. None of the remaining three moved immediately. Their eyes remained fixed on the blackened figure lying motionless before them, unable to comprehend that the physically strongest among them had been defeated before he could even activate his Curse Mark.
For years the Sound Four had fought together, survived together and completed countless missions under Orochimaru, and though they constantly bickered amongst themselves, they were comrades all the same. Kidomaru's expression twisted first, followed by Sakon's murderous glare while Tayuya's hands trembled around her flute.
Orochimaru meanwhile wasn't looking at Jirobo anymore. His eyes were locked entirely upon the masked figure before him. There wasn't the slightest fluctuation in his breathing. This person had endured Jirobo's crushing grip without discomfort, overpowered him through sheer physical strength and then casually finished the battle.
Was this Rei Amagi? Because the lightning technique looked like the one Rei used before, a technique of Kakashi Hatake. His curiosity had only grown.
"You bastard!" Tayuya screamed, her voice echoing throughout the forest.
"I'll tear you apart!" The curse seal spread across her body almost instantly before black markings covered her skin and expanded violently. Kidomaru and Sakon didn't hesitate either.
All three abandoned any intention of testing this opponent. Bones cracked, skin darkened and their bodies transformed into their second stage Curse Mark forms almost immediately. The air itself felt heavier from the surge of chakra.
Orochimaru silently watched the transformation without interrupting. If Jirobo could be defeated so effortlessly then holding back against this mysterious enemy would simply be suicide. He felt a bit ashamed that he couldn't join and finish this menace, but there was nothing he could do.
"Do not underestimate him again." He said as the three nodded without taking their eyes off Rei. They had already learned that lesson.
"So this is your answer?" Rei asked calmly while slowly drawing his sword. "Three against one because your supposed strongest friend failed?" His tone carried amusement rather than concern. "I expected more from the famous Sound Four. Then again... perhaps there were only three worthy shinobi to begin with."
The insult landed exactly where intended. Tayuya's eyes widened with fury as she immediately raised her flute. Kidomaru fired several webs toward the surrounding trees to establish his battlefield while Sakon disappeared completely, choosing the direct approach. Rei didn't move. He merely stood there with his sword lowered.
Then something changed.
Behind the mask, his eyes slowly turned crimson. One tomoe became two. Two became three. The Sharingan spun lazily within his sockets.
Orochimaru's breathing stopped.
"...Sharingan."
His voice almost cracked.
His pupils dilated with excitement unlike anything he had felt in years. Another Uchiha. Younger perhaps, yet possessing a fully matured three-tomoe Sharingan. His mind raced through countless possibilities in an instant. Had another survivor escaped the massacre? Had Danzo hidden one? Had fate itself finally decided to reward him?
His tongue instinctively slid across his lips as greed replaced pain for a fleeting moment.
"Wonderful..." Orochimaru whispered to himself. "Another jewel hidden from the world. This is getting very interesting."
Every ounce of attention he possessed now rested upon Rei's eyes. He no longer cared who this masked shinobi was. All he saw was another potential vessel. Unfortunately for him, that excitement lasted only a few seconds.
Sakon struck first, appearing directly behind Rei with both claws extended toward his spine. Kidomaru simultaneously released a barrage of golden arrows from above while Tayuya began playing her flute, invisible waves rushing toward Rei from every direction.
Instead of dodging, Rei swung his free hand outward. The moisture in the surrounding air condensed instantly. Long spears of crystal-clear ice erupted from the ground in every direction, intercepting Kidomaru's arrows while massive walls rose behind him, forcing Sakon's attack to collide against solid frozen barriers.
Frost exploded throughout the battlefield. Trees were coated in white within moments. Even the grass beneath Orochimaru's feet froze solid. Tayuya's music faltered as she stared blankly ahead.
"Ice Release..." Orochimaru muttered.
His excitement disappeared.
That kekkei genkai had vanished with Kirigakure's purge years ago. An Uchiha possessing Ice Release? His mind simply refused to process what stood before him.
Before any of them could recover, Rei moved. His physique surged forward with frightening acceleration, the ground beneath his feet collapsing from the force alone. Sakon barely managed to raise both arms before Rei's shoulder slammed into him. The impact launched him through several frozen trees like a cannonball.
He crashed across the forest floor before finally stopping dozens of meters away. Blood sprayed from his mouth as he desperately tried to stand, only to realize several ribs had already given way.
"Monster..." Sakon whispered. That single charge contained more raw strength than anything he had experienced before. It wasn't chakra enhancement. It wasn't a hidden technique. It was simply overwhelming physical might.
Kidomaru immediately abandoned close combat. His webs shot across the battlefield from every angle, attempting to bind Rei's limbs before another direct confrontation became possible.
But what happened next wasn't under his calculations at all.
The golden strands reinforced by chakra could restrain even powerful jonin, yet the moment they wrapped around Rei's arms, he simply continued walking. The webs stretched and groaned.
Then snapped apart one after another. Kidomaru's confident expression slowly disappeared.
"Impossible..." he muttered. "Those webs shouldn't..."
He never finished the sentence because several golden chains erupted from Rei's back without warning. They tore through the frozen battlefield like living dragons. Tayuya barely avoided one by throwing herself sideways while Kidomaru leapt desperately upward.
Sakon wasn't so fortunate. Already injured from the earlier impact, he found himself surrounded before he could escape. The chains coiled around him, pinning him against a massive ice pillar before tightening relentlessly until every ounce of resistance left his body. No matter how much chakra he forced into his Curse Mark, the bindings refused to loosen.
Orochimaru's expression finally changed completely.
"...Adamantine Chains."
The words escaped almost involuntarily.
Sharingan.
Ice Release.
Now the sealing chains of the Uzumaki.
No... that combination shouldn't exist. It couldn't exist. Who exactly was hiding beneath that mask?
Even Tayuya hesitated now. She had entered this battle believing they merely needed to overwhelm one dangerous shinobi. But this wasn't what she expected. These techniques, she had no idea what they were and now she was fighting them without having a proper picture.
She could only push forward and hope for the best.
She resumed playing her flute, summoning enormous spectral warriors that charged toward Rei with murderous intent. The giant chakra constructs swung their weapons downward simultaneously. Rei calmly raised his sword as frost gathered along its edge until the entire blade shone pale blue. A single horizontal slash followed.
An arc of frozen chakra crossed the battlefield. Every summoned giant stopped moving.
Then each one shattered into thousands of glittering fragments that scattered across the forest like falling snow. Haku could never do this because it needed immense amount of chakra, but Rei was different. He had too much chakra to spare and even this use of him hardly used his storage.
There was a reason why he didn't use any hand signs. He had been perfecting his techniques and ice techniques were the oldest, and now that he got the freedom to use, why wouldn't he?
Tayuya stared blankly at the shattered remains of her summons before rage completely consumed whatever caution she had left.
"You freak!" she screamed as the melody of her flute changed once more, invisible waves of genjutsu rushing toward Rei while Kidomaru simultaneously released another barrage of arrows.
Sakon finally tore himself free by shedding flesh from his trapped body, thanks to senjutsu that allowed him to use some techniques even though the Adamantine chains were on. Ukon emerged from his back as the twins charged together with twin blades drawn. Rei didn't even bother to avoid the illusion.
His crimson eyes spun once and the genjutsu shattered before it could even settle over his mind. The next moment steel clashed against steel as Sakon and Ukon met his blade. Sparks erupted across the frozen battlefield while the four swords blurred into countless afterimages.
Sakon attacked with savage aggression, Ukon slipped in from impossible angles, yet every strike was read before it was completed.
"You really think you can fight against a Sharingan user?" Rei mumbled which Sakon could hear. His sword suddenly changed direction midway through a clash and slid beneath Sakon's guard before cutting cleanly across his chest.
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